The restaurant she'd been given directions to looked like a charming little place, the perfect scene for what would hopefully be a good first date, and Cordelia had high hopes that what would happen within the glass doors leading inside would make her night worth it. She had always told herself that she wasn't going to accept dates from anyone but the man of her dreams, but there was something about the persistence and the wording of the invitations she kept getting sent for this date that she felt she couldn't ignore forever. Her acceptance had only come earlier in the afternoon, but it seemed the man who was attempting to court her had been eagerly waiting for it, replying instantly to meet her at this particular restaurant just before sunset.
As it was a late summer day, sunset came rather late in the evening, so she showed up outside the restaurant while it was still relatively light; during the time she spent there waiting, she had nothing to do but to question if there was any way this date could be worth her spending the evening in this way. Her heart had always been set on someone, and it was most definitely not that someone who had asked her out for this meal. Was it possible for her to move past that minor crush long enough to enjoy an evening out with a determined suitor?
"Er, hello there, Cordelia," she heard someone awkwardly say, and she looked to the speaker with her head tilted to the side, unsure why they sounded like they weren't confident in their words. "I wasn't expecting to see you here quite yet. Bright and early, I guess, huh?"
She nodded, standing up from the bench she'd been sitting on for what had to have been at least an hour. "I try my hardest to be punctual, especially for events such as this one. Thank you so much for the invitation out tonight." Her tone was clearly being faked, as she wasn't completely sure she should be thanking this man for anything, especially not a date, when he looked like he did. Disheveled hair, a wrinkled shirt and a crooked tie, lack of belt on pants that desperately needed a wash-was he trying to impress her, or was he trying to scare her off? Her eyes shifted to look at what she was wearing, which was a nice, freshly-pressed blouse and a pencil skirt that ended right above her knees, before looking back at his mess of an outfit and grimacing. "You, ahem, seem to have rushed to get over here, haven't you?"
"What do you mean? Why would I rush somewhere to get something to eat?" He blinked a couple of times, before putting his hands up defensively and saying, "I-I mean, why would I rush somewhere to get to an important date? I'm not a slacking kind of guy, I'll have you know."
Taking note of his delayed correction of his original statement, Cordelia sighed, a bad feeling finding its home in her chest as she realized that her night most likely wasn't going to be worth it at all. "I believe you, Stahl. There's no reason not to." To herself, she muttered, "Aside from what you're wearing, that is."
"Aw man, are you saying that my clothes look bad?" Somehow, despite her attempt to keep her judgmental comment to herself, Stahl had heard what she'd said and was now desperately trying to straighten his tie. "I'm not exactly big on getting dressed up, you know, but for a dinner at a place like this? I just had to! Now I'm going to look like a fool in there, and I can't help it! What if they refuse to serve us because I look bad?"
She sighed again, reaching out to fix his tie for him. "This isn't a fine dining establishment, so I believe we'll be served no matter what your clothing looks like. After all, it's more important that you're actually wearing something than anything else." Getting the tie in a suitable position, she withdrew her hand, running it through her long hair that was clipped back at one side of her face. "Now let's proceed with this dinner date, shall we? I've been waiting quite a while for you to show up so that we could do this."
"Waiting a while? I said just before sunset, didn't I? Not way before sunset!" Looking slightly frantic, adding to his overall disheveled appearance, Stahl raised a finger that he held before Cordelia. "I've got one thing I've got to do before we get this date started, so if you'll give me just a moment, let me get that done." Simply because she had no reason to say otherwise, she gave him his request, and he ran inside the doors of the restaurant, going straight up to the hostess at the stand with every intention of getting a table for himself and his date.
There was just one snag in his plan, that being the special request that he needed to make for their seats. "A table for two, please," he said, watching the hostess nod and reach for menus, before he placed both hands on the wooden table her seating chart was resting on. "But it needs to be a bigger table. We're going to need a bit more room than a typical table for two." She froze, retracting her hand from the menu stack and carefully checking to see if there were any tables available to fit what had been requested. Despite there being plenty of tables open in the restaurant, she didn't feel that any of the available ones were quite what he was looking for, so she sent him outside with news of a short wait.
This, naturally, raised more red flags in Cordelia's mind than seeing her date look like he'd just rolled out of bed ever could. "I've seen virtually no one go inside in the entire time I've been waiting here, yet we can't get a table right away?" she asked, to which he nodded, hoping she wasn't going to question any further. She raised her eyebrows at him, before turning to look inside one of the restaurant's windows and seeing a nearly empty room. "Hm, how odd. I can only assume they don't have the staff working right now to accommodate our presence, but why wouldn't they at a prime dining time?"
"I don't know, but it's really weird." He was lying through his teeth, laughing awkwardly once he finished speaking. They then proceeded to stand in silence for a few minutes, before the hostess came out to take them to their table. He tried to act casual about everything as they were being led back to their seats, but when they were at the side of a rather large table, with menus dropped on it and the hostess running off back to her post, he couldn't keep up the charade anymore. Especially not with Cordelia once again giving him a judgmental look.
"Stahl, you're not inviting anyone to dine with us tonight, are you?" As she was sitting down, she was watching his reaction to her question, which was to shake his head and take his seat faster than she took hers. "Then why are we seated at such a big table when there are so many smaller ones around us?"
He gave a very unsure shrug. "Must have been something to do with what servers they've got here tonight. No big deal, it just means a bigger table. We can manage with this, can't we?" Under his breath, hoping Cordelia wouldn't hear him, he said, "I know I need it this way," but when he saw her narrow her eyes in his direction, he knew he'd been overheard. "Er, I mean, I prefer not being crammed into a small table, you know? It's just nice to know I can move seats whenever I want and I won't be disturbing you with it!"
"You're a horrible liar," she told him, looking disappointed as she did, "and if it weren't so rude I would most likely leave right now. However, this was my only planned event for the night, so there's no point in cancelling it now…" Cordelia sighed, propping her elbow up on the table and her chin in her hand. "I only hope that the rest of the night goes better than what's happened so far."
He, and anyone in a close radius, could tell that she wasn't thrilled with the evening's events so far, but at the same time, he could see the slightest of blushes filling her cheeks—was she only sounding unimpressed but enjoying what was happening nonetheless? That was something that he would have to find out on his own as things went on, and the next step to the dinner date was going to be the actual dinner. At least, that's what he figured it was going to be, and realistically, that's what it should have been. But like all perfect plans, something always pops up to disrupt things, and the disruption of the evening happened to be two other guests seated in the same little alcove of the dining room.
It started with one of them yelling Stahl's name, and both he and Cordelia looking to see who was speaking. No sooner did she see the sun-tanned skin and the blond hair did Cordelia look back to her own table, silently praying to Naga above that the extent of Vaike's involvement in her date was going to be him saying hello to Stahl. The last thing she needed was someone that she vaguely knew ruining her night more than it already was going to be ruined just by happening.
But after the greeting, communication between the two parties diminished, leaving her to have to trudge through awkward small talk with Stahl until the server came and began taking their order. The drink order went smoothly, which was to be expected, but when their glasses of water were dropped off and the server asked if they were ready for food, things changed. The poor man taking the order must have felt like he was writing a novel on his notepad with how much, and how fast, Stahl was ordering things, leaving Cordelia to politely pass on ordering anything for herself just so the man could get a break. "What was that that you just did?" she asked once the server was out of earshot. "You're not inviting your friends over here and treating them to a meal as well, are you?"
He shook his head, giving her a sheepish smile as he did. "No, that's all for just us. You'll never believe how great the food here is unless you try most of it, so I'm going to let you try as much as you'd like!"
"A charming gesture, but I could have done without that server believing that we're stocking up for the winter or something nonsensical like that." Shifting in her seat a bit, Cordelia looked back at the menu that she had kept with her even after the server had left. "You went through and nearly ordered everything they have to offer. Doesn't the thought of paying for that, well, concern you at all?"
"I'm a regular here, they know I do this kind of thing all the time." His smile grew even more sheepish, his cheeks bursting into color, before he buried his face in his hands and lamented, "Oh, I see what you're getting at! I've made a terrible impression on you here and you're going to judge me forever because of it! I didn't mean to be remember as the weird food guy in your life!"
A clanging noise filled Cordelia's ears as she thought of a response that would simultaneously erase Stahl's fear while letting him know that he was justified in feeling that way; when she looked around for the source she saw that Vaike, where he was sitting, was bursting out laughing, while his date was trying her hardest to stifle a chuckle. The one thought that came to her mind as she saw the two finding humor in, presumably, something one of them had caused was why are they here, of all the places? a thought that translated to words without her thinking about it. "Why am I here tonight, of all the places I could be?"
"B-because you accepted my offer for a date, except now I realize it was a bad offer and an even worse idea." She wasn't even looking in Stahl's direction, but she figured based on how muffled his voice was that he was still hiding his face as he spoke. "Listen, Cordelia, I only invited you out tonight because I wanted to get to know you better! You're just that pretty lady I always see staring sadly at nothing, and I wanted to make you have a happy moment in your life! It's my fault that I've already ruined that, huh?"
She regretted saying what she had said, a point she made by reaching out to him and gingerly grabbing one of his arms, pulling his hand off from his face. "Stahl, I didn't mean that. You've been so kind to me, planning this date tonight and whatnot. It's just that…that…" The words she wanted to tack on to the end of the sentence caught in her throat, not wanting to be spoken to anyone who would really hear them. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't staring sadly at nothing, but rather she was thinking about the man her heart belonged to, a great man whom had long been off the romantic market. "I spoke without thinking there," she finally finished," and it would mean the world to me if you forgave me for being so insensitive."
He looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise that she was so much as touching him, and gave a small nod. "Of course I forgive you, Cordelia. I guess it probably doesn't mean much at all right now, but I think you're pretty cool. And pretty. But I'm being too forward, aren't I?" His eyes darted around the room, looking for a saving grace to free him from his babbling, but there were no such things in his line of sight. "Listen, I'd really like it if we spent tonight just getting to know each other better. Right now, all I know is that something's really troubling you whenever I see you, and I want to, er, be able to help you get past that."
"Nothing's troubling me," she started, before taking note of just how flustered he was getting at having said what he just did. This caused her to rethink her statement a bit, eventually saying, "But if you would be so kind as to listen to my problems, that would be lovely."
What started as her sharing problems turned into them talking back and forth about themselves and their interests, the conversation flowing naturally and somewhat romantically. They were interrupted once by the server coming back with trays of food that had been ordered, but once every individual plate was in place (and based on how well-arranged they were, Stahl's comment of being a regular was true), they were back to talking, all while occasionally taking bites of the food laying before them. He was right, it was all great, and her trying a bit of each was a wonderful experience.
An experience actually ruined by the sound of things being thrown at them, colliding with everything from the table legs to nearby decorations to even the back of Stahl's head at one point. He didn't seem to mind what was happening, eating and talking as if it wasn't going on, but it was starting to bother Cordelia. It came to the point that, after a piece of bread came flying at their table, she stood up, hands at her sides in anger, and marched over to the table causing the issues. "Can you please leave us alone while we're having a date?" she asked in the calmest voice she could muster, raising one arm so she could shake a fist at the guilty party in anger. "Would you like it if we were throwing things at you while you were trying to have a night out with someone, mister Vaike?"
Knowing he was guilty of what he was being accused of, Vaike gave a small shrug and shot Cordelia the biggest grin he could possibly manage. "No, wouldn't like it, but wouldn't really care if it happened or not. If ya can't handle people throwin' stuff at ya, then what's the fun in life, yanno?" While he spoke, his female companion reached for another piece of bread, and the second his sentence finished she lobbed it straight at Cordelia, hitting her solidly in the face. She sputtered and tried to compose herself to complain about it, but the damage was already done, the couple she'd approached both laughing at the scene.
By the time she made her way back over to her table, her face was as red as her hair and she was clearly still flustered at what had happened. As hard as she tried, she couldn't shake off the embarrassment for the duration of the meal, the feeling of weakness she'd experienced when that break smacked her in the face something that would not leave her alone. Stahl noticed this and rushed through the meal as fast as he could, just so that they could get out of the restaurant and away from the people who'd caused Cordelia this pain.
"You didn't have to put all that food into takeaway containers for me," she said once they were standing outside the restaurant, the clear, starry sky overhead providing the only light Cordelia had to look at the giant bags Stahl was holding. "We could have sat there as long as you felt necessary."
"What would the good in that be? You weren't enjoying yourself, and I wanted to make sure you were happy." He leaned in towards her, seemingly going in for a kiss but turning his head to look up at the stars above instead. "I really had a great time getting to know you better, Cordelia, and I'd love to get to do this again sometime. Except maybe somewhere more private, so that what happened doesn't happen again."
She was more than happy to agree with him, on all accounts; he was charming, albeit awkward, and he was definitely sweet on her. What harm would there be in accepting his offer for a second date?
Being asked to third-wheel on a date was one thing, but when it was her best friend asking, and the offer of a completely paid for meal was on the table, Severa wasn't going to say no. She was always a sucker when it came to people offering to buy her things, but most especially food—and even more especially than that, food from the particular restaurant that this "date" was happening at. When she had been dropped off outside the place, a large sign on the front door read that it was their last day before closing, making it all-the-more special that she was going to be awkwardly mediating a date there.
After all, this was the place where her parents had their first date, and so it had a little bit of sentimental value to her, even if she had to be taught that it did. And, on top of that, it had some great meals that she was sorely going to miss, but at the same time, she was so going to get to rub in her dad's face that she got to have them one last time more recently than he did.
At the thought of getting to eat, her stomach rumbled, making her feel even more impatient about having to wait for her friend to show up. It felt like hours that she was standing out there, the pain of waiting while hungry getting to her a bit more than it should have, that when she finally saw Lucina walking up to her, she was about ready to snap. "It's about time you got here, Lucy," she said, quickly going to the door and opening it for her friend. "I feel like I'm about to die, that's how hungry I am right now."
"You're not about to die. You've only been out there for not even five minutes, at any rate. I was watching you while my parents talked to me about what not to do tonight." Brushing her hair off her shoulder as she entered the restaurant, Lucina smiled at Severa, who scowled right back at her. "Oh, please, don't act so sour. I'm treating you to dinner tonight, after all."
"And that's great, but couldn't you have not made me wait so long? You know I like to get my meals at regular times." Sticking her tongue out at her friend, Severa's scowl faded when the smell of food drifted into the air she was breathing. "Man, it smells so great in here. Can't believe this place is closing after tonight."
Lucina shrugged, walking up to the hostess' stand with Severa following right behind. "I can't believe it either, after all the times I've been dragged here with your family. It only made sense that this date happened here, really, especially since I needed you to come along to 'supervise' it, according to my parents." After breaking from conversation for a moment to ask for a table for three people, she was back to discussing the situation with her friend. "They really don't trust me alone with him, for some reason. I know they know I'm their smart and charming child, yet they won't let me dine alone with a boy."
"It might be because of which boy you're dining with," Severa replied, but her words fell on deaf ears as Lucina saw someone walking into the restaurant that was automatically taking up all her attention. The mere sight of him, with his perfectly-styled white hair and his sly smile as he noticed Lucina standing there, was enough to make Severa want to throw up a bit, but it was the fact that someone she recognized was tagging along with him and going completely unnoticed that actually made her choke. "Who said he got to bring along a third wheel as well?"
Snapping out of her momentary daze at seeing her love interest, Lucina also noticed the uninvited person and her jaw dropped. "Owain! What are you doing here? Weren't you told this was a date between me and Inigo…and Severa too, I guess?"
"Hey, hey, no attacking my companion for the evening," Inigo interjected, stepping in between the cousins before they could start a fight. "Knowing that your parents would insist you bring someone along to keep us from canoodling, I decided to bring someone along as well, and who better than someone you both know well?"
"Yes, but…" Lucina's voice trailed off, as she looked from Inigo's pleased face to her cousin's partially-obscured one. As she turned to apologize to Severa for the evening getting just a bit weirder, an idea struck her that she felt needed to be suggested. "Well, since we both have a friend along for the night, why don't we make this a double date? Of course, I know that Severa and Owain aren't together or anything, but it would make things more interesting!"
At mention of her name in conjunction with the other guy's, Severa rolled her eyes, but she knew that denying the request would most likely result in her not getting a free meal. Why not humor her best friend for the evening just to get that food? "I'll do it, if he's up for it and he promises not to be a total weirdo," she finally said, at about the same time that they were getting their table. "But one weird thing and I am so calling this fake date done."
"I can promise you that there will be no weird shenanigans on my part!" Moving his hand slightly so that Severa could see the corner of his mouth turn upward into a smile, Owain gave a loud laugh. "However, I cannot promise that my naughty hand will stay out of trouble for the evening, but I will try to keep it under control!"
"And that right there's enough to make me rethink this." She hadn't even taken her seat at the table and yet she was already regretting sticking around. Even the promise of free food, something Lucina reminded her of (when she wasn't listening to and somewhat believing the flattering words Inigo was telling her), was just barely enough to make her think that staying was a good idea. Severa knew how obnoxious and overdramatic Owain could be. She knew that he was nothing but a weird kid that blamed his strangeness on the hand he always held in front of his face. She knew that there was nothing redeemable about him.
But somehow, in the middle of listening to the lovebirds beside her talk to each other over drinks and bread, she found herself staring at Owain, noticing everything about him that she hadn't noticed before. The shine of his green eyes, the way his fingers bent whenever he started getting excited, the almost enviable dark color of his hair—all things that she could find herself slowly, very slowly becoming enamored with. This wasn't supposed to be an evening where she found love, this was supposed to be her time of keeping her friend's date night in check.
"You, er, seem to be staring at me pretty intently," Owain said, moving his hand completely out of the way to use it to snap in Severa's face. "Is there something wrong with me? Do I have something on me somewhere?" She shook her head, mentally yelling at herself about how nice he looked when she could see his whole face at once. "Oh, well, it feels like your eyes are burning holes in me. Could you maybe stop?"
Without giving her words a moment's thought, she blurted out, "Could you maybe stop being so attractive?" Everyone at the table heard what she said, and no matter how embarrassed she was for saying it, Owain was ten times more flustered to hear the bluntly-worded comment.
At the end of the night, no one was sure who had the better experience: the established couple who had gotten to know each other better, or the two people who weren't dating but very well should have been.
A/N: What's this, two fics from me for the same fic exchange? Well, not quite. While I certainly did all the writing of this fic, the planning (and in-progress reading) was done by my dearest friend Dr. Psycho, as it's actually his fill for the fic exchange. "But why did you write it then?" you might ask, and that's a long story that I could take all day telling, but to sum it up: he basically got screwed over last time, so to make it up to him I told him we'd collab on his submission this time.
Also, Green, I totally did end up writing your prompt after all. :3c